An Unbreakable Promise
by ShineyStar
Summary: On the eve of his wedding, Troy finds himself in his childhood tree-house, reminiscing events that had occurred in that special place and sharing a particularly found memory with that one special person who had changed his life for the better.


**This is probably one of the randomest story ideas I've ever had. I literally just thought of this at 12:30am whilst lying in bed and had to write it down before I forgot it.**

**Please excuse this if it's completely weird :D**

_**Italics**_** are flashbacks.**

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**An Unbreakable Promise**

Grinning to himself, 22 year old Troy Bolton stealthily climbed the ladder up to his tree-house that had been built about 14 years ago in honour of his eighth birthday. Climbing through the trap door, Troy stood in wonder as he gazed at the objects, poster and other remnants of his childhood that were scattered about in the wooden confinements.

Sitting down on the dusty ground, Troy leant against the splintering wood of the walls, running a hand over the top of a wooden chest that sat next to him, his fingers leaving trail marks in the thick coating of dust that had gathered in the past years.

Unable to resist the temptation, he turned to face the chest properly and heaved open the heavy lid, his eyes taking in the pile of more childhood artefacts that he had long forgotten about. Picking up the item on top of the pile, Troy smiled gently as he fingered the faded red material of the cape that he'd once claimed to belong to Chad when really, it'd been a present that he'd demanded from his parents at the young age of five. The smile tugging at his lips widened when he remembered the last time he had worn that cape, and who he had been with at the time.

_Straightening up, Troy came face to face with his girlfriend who was holding a red cape in her hands with a 'you've-got-to-be-kidding-me' expression on her face, her lips graced in a gentle smile._

"_That's Chad's," Troy blurted, his face indignant, trying to look as honest as possible even though he knew his girlfriend would see through his attempt at trying to protect his manliness._

_Gabriella nodded her head once, unconvinced. "Sure it is."_

_Troy sighed in defeat as Gabriella swept the cape around his shoulders, her delicate fingers tying a perfect bow whilst her bottom lip was caught gently between her teeth in attempts to stifle her giggles. _

"_Now," she said, her soft voice enveloping Troy as he gazed down at her, his heart melting at the cute smile that graced her lips. "It's just like kindergarten." _

Gabriella Montez. The raven-haired beauty that had captured Troy's heart the moment his seven year old self had accidentally hit her on the head with his basketball, resulting in tears, guilt and an ice-pack (courtesy of Troy's mother) to reduce the swelling. It was the start of an amazing friendship. The two had become inseparable from that day. Best friends right up until the age of sixteen, where the awkwardness caused by teenage hormones finally diminished and the unspoken love for one other had finally surfaced, resulting in the two of them becoming much more than friends – all of this occurring by just a simple conversation and a gentle yet hesitant kiss.

"_So, guess who asked me out today?"_

_The simple question had Troy freezing in shock, the familiar feeling of jealousy slowly seeping through his body as he turned to face his best friend of nine years who was leaning against the rough wall of the tree-house. He knew it was bound to happen. The boys at school were not oblivious to Gabriella's looks and her luscious (Chad's word, not Troy's) body, and often made attempts at getting close to her, asking her for tutoring or the occasional brave request for a movie and a meal. Each little hint or request would piss off Troy to no end, causing his body to surge with jealousy and he'd watch the slime-ball leer at Gabriella. But each time Troy would watch, with a hint of smugness, as Gabriella would blush prettily and politely decline the invitation. _

"_Who?" His voice was strained and clipped as he battled with himself to contain his jealousy._

"_Nate Samuels," Gabriella replied, her tone hushed, slightly apprehensive as she knew that Nate Samuels was Troy's main rival. Yes, he was good looking, and yes, he was the football captain and maybe, just maybe, Gabriella had felt the teeniest bit flattered that someone with a status like his, had been interested in her. However, his reputation of a major player was what had made Gabriella to say no. Well that, and the fact that she was madly in love with the boy sitting less than a metre in front of her. Both did it. Pick your favourite. _

"_Oh…" Troy replied, shuffling forward a little. "What did you say?" He asked, wincing at how his voice was harsher than he had intended it to be._

"_I, uh…" Gabriella trailed off, blushing hotly as she averted her gaze to her lap where she began to fiddle with the hem of her top. "I told him that I already had a boyfriend." _

"_And what did he say to that?" Troy asked, his voice softer and laced with anticipation._

_Gabriella swept her gaze upwards to look at Troy before it dropped again. "He asked if it was you," she replied, her voice hesitant and quiet._

"_What did you tell him?" Troy pushed gently._

"_Nothing," Gabriella responded. "I…I wasn't sure if you had even considered it and I didn't know how you'd feel if I lied and said yes."_

"_Who says you have to lie?" Troy countered and Gabriella's eyes widened._

"_W-what?"_

_Breathing hitched, she watched in growing apprehension as Troy shuffled closer until she was able to feel his warm breath on her flushed cheeks and her eyes fluttered momentarily at the pleasurable, tingling sensation. Her eyes remained locked with Troy's and Gabriella suddenly found a surge of confidence, a hand coming up to curl around his sturdy neck. Troy grinned softly in response before leaning in closer, their noses rubbing gently together before he finally pressed his lips against her soft ones._

_Gabriella hadn't known what to expect. Of course she'd thought about what it would be like to kiss Troy, but never had she imagined the raging tingles that coursed through her body at that moment in time. It was like a dream. And yeah, she realised how cheesy that sounded, but she didn't care. That was the only way she could describe her first kiss._

_As soon as their lips had touched, Troy had felt Gabriella jolt in surprise, and he took this as her acceptance before he increased the pressure of his lips against hers, his heart swelling when he felt her respond ever so carefully. Their kiss lasted several long moments before Gabriella fell short of breath and pulled away, gasping softly as her eyes remained closed. Troy watched in awe as she delicately licked her swollen lips, as if to savour the taste of their first kiss before her eyelids fluttered open to reveal her sparkling mocha orbs that were deeper in colour than they had been before; darker with desire._

_The two looked at each other in silence before Gabriella's lips broke out into a radiant smile, her cheeks ever so slightly flushed with a delicate pink hue. Troy smiled softly in return before leaning back in, this time, meeting Gabriella in the middle for a second kiss that was less timid than the first, but still careful and slow – and it was better than the two could of ever imagined._

_Breathlessly, the two of them broke the kiss, their swollen lips smiling widely and Gabriella shuffled next to Troy, snuggling deep into his side as he wrapped his arms tightly around her waist – elated that he was finally holding her._

_The two of them sat in comforting silence, unable to wipe the goofy smiles of their faces, before Troy suddenly broke the silence._

"_This means that we're together, right?"_

_Gabriella's only response was an explosive giggle that rang out into the night air._

Grinning softly at the memory, Troy shook his head has he realised just _how_ many memories this tree-house stored. Returning his attention back to the wooden chest, Troy continued to pilfer through the contents, his grin never wavering. When he reached the bottom of the chest, a tattered piece of paper caught his attention and he retrieved it, his eyes slowly scanning what was written on it and his smile immediately widened, a small laugh breaking through as yet another memory came flooding back to him.

"_We'll be best friends forever, right Troy?" A 10 year old Gabriella asked as she picked up yet another hand of cards._

"_Well, maybe but only if you stop beating me at cards," Troy mumbled in response as Gabriella stuck her tongue out at him, picking up another successful hand of cards._

"_We will though, right?" She asked again, and Troy looked up at her to see her expression serious, and her eyes shining in sincerity._

"_Of course, Gabriella," Troy responded, grinning reassuringly._

"_Okay," Gabriella replied, smiling in return. "Good."_

"_Although…" Troy trailed off, looking around tree-house for something. "I'd feel better knowing that our promise was written down. Wouldn't you?" He asked, before he finally found what he was searching for and brandished a piece of paper and a blue pencil._

_Gabriella laughed but nodded her head nonetheless. "Yeah, I would." She watched as Troy smiled at her, before focusing his attention on the piece of paper and she couldn't help but wince at his boyish scrawl._

"_Maybe I should write," she suggested, and Troy immediately relented, passing her the pencil. Flipping the piece of paper over, Gabriella began writing, her tongue out in concentration as she neatly formed the words._

_Minutes passed in silence before she finally handed the pencil to Troy. "You need to sign your name."_

_Taking the pencil, Troy scribbled his name next to Gabriella's neat signature before pulling back to admire their piece of work. _

"_**This document holds the declaration made by Gabriella Anne Montez and Troy Alexander Bolton who have vowed to be best friends forever, no matter what – Wednesday 13**__**th**__** June, 1997"**_

_**Signed: Gabriella Montez & Troy Bolton.**_

"_It looks good," Troy said before looking back down at it. "But, I think we could do something else to make it like a real declaration."_

_Gabriella's brow furrowed. "Like what?"_

"_Well, in movies, some people sign in blood," Troy replied, continuing quickly when Gabriella made a face. "No, I mean, we could cut our thumbs, and put a drop of blood next to our names. It'd show that the promise can never be broken because our blood will always run through our bodies." _

_Gabriella was silent as she contemplated what Troy had said. He had a point - it would make the promise unbreakable. Sighing, she replied. "Fine – let's do it."_

_Grinning boyishly, Troy went over to the wooden chest that was sitting in the corner before returning with a faded green pocket knife._

"_Where'd you get that?" Gabriella asked, her eyes wide._

"_My grandpa gave it to me for my birthday," Troy responded, and Gabriella immediately relaxed. She hesitantly watched as Troy flipped the blunt out and pressed it to the soft pad of this thumb, drawing a relatively thick line of blood. Ignoring Gabriella's noticeable flinch, Troy then pressed his thumb down underneath where he'd written his name, and grinned in satisfaction as he pulled his thumb away, looking at the bloody thumbprint that had been left behind. _

"_Okay, your turn," Troy said and Gabriella timidly held her hand out towards him. Troy could see that she was nervous – she'd never liked pain – and he smiled reassuringly at her. Gabriella managed a weak smile in response, and closed her eyes as Troy, as gently as he could, drew the blade across her thumb. Gasping slightly, Gabriella looked down to see the pad of her thumb covered in blood before finally pressing it to the paper next to where Troy had left his print._

_Troy and Gabriella looked at their promise written on paper before looking at each other, smiling. They liked the idea of knowing that there was something that showed their promise, and that there was nothing that could break it. _

_They knew they'd be friends forever._

Reading the piece of paper again, Troy looked at their blood-thumb prints that were now brown in colour. He then lifted his thumb and studied it, grinning when he saw the thin scar on the soft flesh.

Troy's genius idea of signing in blood hadn't gone down too well when after ten minutes, his and Gabriella's thumbs hadn't stopped bleeding, and they'd had to retreat to his house and show his mom, who hadn't been the slightest bit impressed. They were given a plaster each and then a shared lecture about safety with sharp objects, and how some people can actually die due to loss of blood. Gabriella had then started to cry because she thought she was going to die, and it had taken Lucille a good fifteen minutes and an ice-cream sundae to convince her otherwise.

Placing the piece of paper back where he had found it, Troy leant against the wall and let out a contented sigh as his thoughts drifted off to the events that would be occurring the day after, and how he and Gabriella were finally getting married. He could picture her floating down the aisle, looking absolutely radiant dressed in the white gown she'd been gushing about for months. He hadn't thought this would ever happen to them; he had feared that they'd grow apart from one another during college, but no. Their relationship had grown stronger and stronger with each passing day – and now, Troy was sitting in his old tree-house on the eve of his wedding. Things couldn't get any better.

"Hey, Wildcat. What're you doing up here by yourself?" The soft, melodic voice of Gabriella drifted down from above him, and he looked up to see his beautiful fiancée standing by the trapdoor, wearing an affectionate expression. He'd been wrong. Things had just got a hundred times better.

"I needed to get away from Chad," he replied dryly and Gabriella giggled her musical giggle as she walked over to him, settling by his side, her head instinctively resting on his shoulder. "That guy is going to be so hung-over tomorrow."

"Well, as long as he manages to stay standing during the ceremony and not throw up on anyone, we'll be fine," Gabriella replied and Troy laughed in agreement as his arms wrapped around her waist.

"I missed you," he whispered against her ear, his breath hot and tingly against the soft skin.

"I miss you too, Wildcat," Gabriella responded, giggling as Troy pressed a sweet kiss on the soft shell of her ear. "Although technically, we're not meant to be with each other now. I'm supposed to be at my house with the girls, and you're meant to be inside with Chad and the guys, enjoying your last night of freedom."

Troy laughed and shook his head. "There's no way I can enjoy my last night of freedom when all I want is for tomorrow to come quickly so that I can marry you and become your husband," he mumbled against her temple, squeezing her waist affectionately.

"Mhmm," Gabriella hummed. "I can't wait till tomorrow."

Shifting her in his arms, Troy swept her sideways into his lap where he proceeded to plant kisses on the soft skin of her neck and throat. Gabriella sighed in bliss before she cupped his cheeks to halt his actions, and tilt his face towards hers so that he could kiss her properly.

Capturing her delicate lips in an adoring kiss, Troy gripped her waist harder, his fingers slipping beneath the soft material of her top to gently stroke the silkiness of her skin. Gabriella purred softly in approval, their kiss growing in fervour as her tongue smoothly swept across his bottom lip in search of entrance. Granting it immediately, Troy pulled Gabriella closer to his body as their tongues entwined softly, dancing slowly together.

"Mhmm, Troy." Gabriella tried to break the kiss, realising that if they were to continue, it would lead to clothes being shed and something else that would be considered indecent to occur in a tree-house.

"Wildcat," she mumbled against his lips. "We need to stop."

"No," Troy replied and captured her lips in another fiery kiss. Gabriella momentarily fell back into it, allowing Troy to shift his hands to her butt before she remembered what she was trying to do, and pulled back again, causing Troy to groan in frustration.

"I'm sorry, Wildcat," she said softly, stroking his cheek gently. "But you know what will happen if we carry on – and as tempting as it sounds, I don't want Chad or even worse, Sharpay finding us in that precarious position." She giggled when Troy's eyes widened at the possibility, and the inevitable pain that would follow if it were the latter who found them. "Besides," Gabriella continued, her eyes twinkling mischievously. "You need to save your stamina for tomorrow night."

Troy grinned and winked, leaning up to press a swift kiss against her swollen lips. "I'll hold you to that," he said as he pulled back, his heart swelling with love as he took in her glowing smile.

Taking her in his arms again, Troy moved Gabriella's body so that she was resting in between his legs, her back leaning against his sturdy chest. Troy dropped a kiss against the curve of her neck as his arms wrapped around her body, pulling her tighter against him. Gabriella's eyes fluttered delicately in response as she rested her head on his shoulder, turning her face slightly so that she could nuzzle the underside of his jaw.

"I love you," she whispered against his skin.

"Love you too," Troy responded. "So much." He lifted her right hand and presses a tender kiss to each of her fingertips. Pausing on her thumb, he looked carefully at the pad, grinning softly as he saw the faint scar that matched his adorning the soft flesh.

"What are you laughing at, Wildcat?" Gabriella asked softly, and Troy moved her thumb so that it was in front of her face, and Gabriella giggled at the memory. "I remember that day," she said, picking up Troy's own hand so that she could see his scar. "I still can't believe we signed in blood. Your mom was not impressed."

Troy laughed softly as he took her hand and entwined their fingers softly. "Hey, signing in blood was an awesome idea," he protested. "It meant that our promise would never break."

"True," Gabriella agreed before continuing. "Although, I think I could've done without the pain."

"Yeah…" Troy granted. "It hurt, didn't it?"

Gabriella giggled before she replied. "Just a little."

"But it was worth it, right?" Troy asked, his fingers fiddling with the beautiful engagement ring that adorned Gabriella's finger on her left hand.

Gabriella sat up and turned to face him, her eyes sparkling. "Absolutely," she replied before leaning over to kiss him softly.

It had been more than worth it. With or without the blood, their vow would've remained unbroken because it was just meant to be. Gabriella and Troy were destined to be together – that's just the way it worked. From the day they made the vow, their friendship had grown to incredible heights and had never once diminished. And to this day, sitting in the tree-house, they were still the best of friends – best friends who were so in love with one another. And it was perfect.

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**God, I can never finish a story properly. Anything I write always sounds ridiculously cheesy and just blegh. But, hopefully you guys liked it. I admit that it was random, but I actually quite like this – please let me know what you guys think.**

**Review? ;) **


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